I’m Twenty-One But…

A chapter ends and another begins. I turn 21 today.

Many people celebrate their 21 with a birthday party. They invite their closest of friends and family to celebrate that special day with them.

For me?

Nah. I’ve never enjoyed parties nor will I ever think of hosting one. Apart from the financial burden it might have on me just for a day of smiles, being an introvert, I never liked being around too many people at any one time. I hate to divide my attention across many people and would rather spend long hours with just a few.

Maybe you might disagree but I prefer a day of quiet and reflection.

To tell you the truth, I never liked the commemoration of my birthday, it reminds me too much of growing older. Each new digit that adds on to my age comes with added burden and responsibilities. Not only that, it forces me to face the fact that my life will never be the same again; parents will get older, unfortunate events will happen, people will move out of your life and so on. Reality just kicks you in the balls annually, you feel me?

In the past, when I envisioned myself as a 21-year-old man, I’ve always thought of myself as a self-sustaining, successful person with a life that is geared, set and ready to go. Looking at it now, not so much. Maybe I did achieve some minor successes, e.g. getting into a university. However, a plan for life? Not really.

But maybe, I have to look back to truly appreciate how far I have come.

Here’s a rough timeline of my life thus far:

Kandang Kerbau Hospital (KKH) → 13th December 1995

Jurong Town Primary School → 2001 – 2002

Lakeside Primary School → 2002 – 2007

Yuan Ching Secondary School → 2008 – 2011

Catholic Junior College → 2012 – 2013

Worked at Yuan Ching Secondary School as a Relief Teacher → February 2014 – May 2014

Basic Military Training (BMT) at Pulau Tekong in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) →
May 2014 – July 2014

Singapore Civil Defence Force → July 2014 – March 2016

National University of Singapore → August 2016 – Whenever

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

If you have been following me for a while, you would know that memories matter to me a lot. I document almost anything interesting in my life, taking videos and photographs of things that might not ever happen again.

As of recently, I’ve been trying my best to live life. To cherish every moment. Even more so as I turn 21 because I know that anything that happens from here on has a conscious and direct effect on me e.g. a death of a loved one.

After living for about a quarter of your expected lifespan, you start to realise that there really isn’t much time. Therefore, I think that with the time we have left, we should not waste a single moment of it.